Flickering
by MissingMommy
Summary: Loving Charlie isn't difficult at all. It's the easiest thing Draco's done. :: Charlie/Draco, soulmark!AU


Draco is just about to start Hogwarts when his mother sits him down. Her eyes flicker down to his wrist, to the soulmark that is tattooed there. Today, the small dragon is flickering between red and purple, but it's generally yellow. At the back of his mind, he wonders why his soulmate is equal parts angry and frustrated when they are usually happy.

"We need to talk about your soulmark, dear," his mother says softly. He doesn't know what else she could possibly say about it, since she's already told him what the mark is and what the colors mean.

"Mother?" he questions.

She has a frown on her face. "We've tested your mark against all the age-appropriate mates and it doesn't match. I had hoped that we would find your mate here. However, since we haven't, it means that either your mate is from somewhere else, which is unlikely, or they aren't Pureblooded."

"I understand," Draco says. He had his doubts, anyways, about finding a girl who is represented by a dragon, a creature that is fierce and independent and loyal.

Narcissa glances down at her soulmark, a shrew that is currently purple, and then meets Draco's eyes again. She frowns further. "I really wished we could've find your mate," she tells him again.

"I know what my duty to my family is, mother," he replies.

She is reminded strongly of her eldest sister, who married for duty, not love. She flicks her wand and a white cuff comes speeding towards them. She hands it to him. "I thought that this might make it easier to remember," she says softly.

"Thank you," he says. He takes it from his mother and slips it on his wrist covering the flickering dragon.

* * *

The first time he takes the cuff off is right before the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. It seems sacrilegious to take it off after all this time since he knows that he can never be with his soulmate, but because it itches like it hasn't itched before. It's barely off his wrist when Theo frowns at him.

"Why are you taking it off?" he asks.

Draco scratches. "It itches!" he exclaims. It looks exactly how he remembers it from three years before, only this time, the dragon is bright orange. He can tell where his cuff says on from the slight tan line he has.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm bloody sure." He freezes. And then he looks at Theo. "You know what that means."

Theo fiddles with his own cuff, like he does when he's nervous, and Draco already doesn't like where this is going. "You've run into your soulmate," he says finally. "It only itches like that when you're in close proximity to them for the first time."

The cuff is back on Draco's wrist in a flash. He starts glancing around the stadium, trying to figure out who it might be. It can't be the students from Beauxbatons or from Durmstrang since they've been here for a while already. He can't spot any new people from his current location.

"Maybe it was just my imagination," Draco murmurs.

Theo snorts. "If that's what you want to believe."

* * *

The next time he looks under his cuff is when he takes it off for good. He's sitting in the aftermaths of the battle, with his parents. And at first, he just wants to know that they are alive. His parents don't say anything as they watch him take it off.

Beneath the white cuff is the dragon that is a dark blue. He feels relief flood his body at the knowledge that his soulmate is still alive. He's not sure what his soulmate is upset about, but he does know that he wants to meet them.

He uses his mother's wand to incinerate the cuff.

His father looks like he wants to protest, but thinks better of it. His mother just gives him a small smile. He stands up. "I'm going to get some air," he informs them.

Draco walks through the wreckage of Hogwarts, down towards the lake. He used to go to the lake before he found the Room of Requirements in his sixth year. He shudders at the thought of that year.

"You cold?" someone asks.

Draco turns around to face a Weasley. He's shorter than the Weasleys he knows, but the hair is unmistakeable. "No," he answers curtly. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed air," he finally says, coming to stand next to Draco. "What about you?"

Draco frowns. He's not used to being on speaking terms with any of the Weasley, so his question comes as a surprise. "Why do you care?"

The malice in his voice doesn't defer the redhead. "I was curious. That's all. I figured most people would be with their families after a fight like this."

Draco raises an eyebrow. He's heard about the lost of one of the twins. "Then why aren't you?"

"I don't handle grief very well," the redhead responds. "I needed a few minutes to myself to get a grip on my emotions before helping my family deal with theirs. I'll deal with my own grief when I'm back in Romania with my dragons."

It becomes apparent to Draco that this Weasley doesn't know who he is. Sudden nervousness floods Draco's body. This is the first conversation he's had in years where someone is just talking to him because they want to, not because it's what's expected of them.

The redhead moves his right hand up to run his fingers through his hair. In that moment, Draco sees a raven adorning his wrist, orange in color. "Anyways, I probably should get back before Bill comes looking for me." His hand falls and he turns away from Draco. "So I guess you can do whatever you came out here to do."

"My condolences for your brother," Draco says before he can retreat.

The redhead turns to give Draco a respectful smile. "Thanks."

* * *

When the trials are over and he's still free, thanks to Potter's testimony on his behalf, he decides to get out of London. He'd be lying if he tells anyone that he randomly picked Romania, because he hasn't been able to get the redhead with the orange raven out of his head since that night, down at the lake. His own dragon has been the same dark blue.

Draco shows up to the Reserve early in the morning. He's grabbing a cup of coffee from the coffee shop, when he runs into the man again. His face brightens. "I thought I wouldn't see you again."

Draco hesitates for a moment before showing the dragon tattoo to the redhead. "I figured it was about time to learn something about dragons."

The redhead laughs. And Draco swears for a second his dragon flickers yellow before it returns to it's blue. But the blue has definitely brighten. "Well, my shift starts in an hour. I can arrange to give you a tour of the dragons, if you want?"

"Yes."

"Well, I have to go arrange that. But I'll meet you by the front gate in an hour," he says. He gulps down the rest of his coffee before standing. He's halfway to the door before he turns back. "I'm Charlie, by the way. Since we didn't exchange names last time."

"Draco," he says.

"I'll expect you in one hour, then, Draco." With that, Charlie is out the door.

Draco sits in the coffee shop until it's almost time to go, thinking that if Charlie was his soulmate, that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

After the tour, Draco decides to become a Tamer. He has the skills on the broom and he's willing to learn. But mostly, he wants to be around Charlie more.

* * *

It's been a long day. Draco has some burns up the side of his arm, but he's pushed the pain to the back of his mind until he can put some salve on it. He's more frustrated with himself for not dodging in time. He's almost to the off-Reserve flats when Charlie falls into step beside him.

"Looks like one of the Ironbellies got you pretty good," Charlie says.

"I didn't make out of the way in time," he answers. Draco lets his eyes fall to Charlie's wrist. The raven is a light purple - the color of frustration. "Did you ever find your soulmate?" he asks.

"I didn't honestly expect you to wonder something about that," Charlie answers.

Draco frowns. "You're skirting around the answer."

Charlie grins at Draco before sobering up. "About five years, it itched. I was at Hogwarts for the first task of the Tournament. I was there for work, so I couldn't exactly look around to see who was affected. Why?"

"Between the colors on my dragon and your raven, I think you're why mine was itchy in fourth year," Draco replies. "You were the first person to willingly talk to me in while so I thought I was seeing something that wasn't there the first time, when we were down at the lake. But your raven's been mimicking my emotions for a while now."

"You finally figured that out?" Charlie asks.

Draco glares at him. "What? You knew."

Charlie stops. "I noticed it a few months ago. I thought that either you didn't or you realized and were going against your mark. I was waiting for you to confirm which theory was right."

"Purebloods wear cuffs if they were going against their soulmates," Draco informs him. "I wanted to be sure before I asked about it."

"Can I kiss you?"

Draco leans down and capture's Charlie's lips in a kiss. When he pulls away, he notices the raven on Charlie's wrist is yellow.

* * *

He tells his mother about the development in his relationship with Charlie in person. He Floo's there during his day off. He hasn't seen her since he left London, two and a half years ago, but he's written her weekly.

His mother is in the library with tea and biscuits ready for him. He thinks it's fitting to have the conversation about soulmates here, where their last one took place.

"Mother," he greets her, kissing her on the cheek.

She pours him a cup of tea. "Are you staying for dinner, dear?"

"I will be," he confirms. "But I won't stay long after that. I have work in the morning."

"What did you come all this way to tell me?" she asks after several long moments.

Draco doesn't question how she knows. "I found my soulmate," he says. He can't keep the smile off his face when he says this.

Narciss pats his hand. "I know. Charlie Weasley. You write about him more than you realize."

Draco offers her his wrist. The dragon is flickering between pink and yellow, as it has been for weeks now. "I love him," he whispers.

"Then love him," she says. She thinks that in this moment, he reminds her of Andromeda, on the night she left. "I can't say that your father would approve, but after what you went through during the war, you deserve to be happy. And I can tell that he makes you happy."

"What about my duty to my family?" he asks softly.

She smiles at him. "Once I thought that the only thing that matter was my duty to my family. But I think your aunt Andromeda was right to marry for love. Look at what duty has gotten this family."

Her words remind Draco of the empty house, of his father serving his time in Azkaban, of the darkest blue on his mother's wrist. He glances down at his own flickering dragon and smiles. Loving Charlie isn't difficult at all. It's the easiest thing Draco's done.

* * *

Written for the Tournament - round 2, AU package - soulmates, and OTP bootcamp - sacrilegious


End file.
